Learning More About Types of Adoption in Indiana

Everything you need to know about the most common types of adoption.

By now, you know there are different types of adoption to choose from. Knowing which is right for you can help ensure a smooth path to parenthood.

Consider setting up an appointment with American Adoptions of Indiana to talk this over with one of our adoption specialists.

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Let’s break down the different types of adoption and different types of adoption agencies in Indiana.

The Most Common Types of Adoption in Indiana

Though private adoption is most popular in Indiana, there are three types of adoptions that are very common and you may want to consider. These are private adoption, foster care adoption and international adoption.

Private Adoption

Private adoption is known by many names, including domestic adoption and infant adoption. Private adoption is almost always run through an adoption agency, and as mentioned previously, carries numerous benefits. Families also might choose private adoption to cut down on wait times, or because they want to help support women in crisis.

With private adoption, it’s exceedingly common for the adoption agency to help families, adoptive children and birth parents stay in contact through open or semi-open adoption, an arrangement with significant potential benefit for the child.

Lower Wait Times
Agencies Offer Professional Guidance
Opportunities To Support Birth Parents

Read more about how to navigate the Indiana Adoption Process, or contact us to start the process today.

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Foster Care Adoption

Adoption through foster care is not as common as some might imagine. While many have grown their family through foster care adoption, this is not the ultimate goal of the foster care system. Foster care is designed to eventually reunite children with their birth parents, not to facilitate adoption.

That being said, there are plenty of reasons families might want to foster a child, including the possibility of eventual adoption. Cost is also a consideration; in foster care adoptions, the state covers some of the most significant adoption costs.

Up To A 5-Year Wait
Run By Child Protective Services
Can Help Children In Crisis

International Adoption

International adoptions can be a very rewarding process, but should be approached carefully and with the help of a reputable professional. International adoption has to abide by the laws of the United States and the child’s country of origin, often creating a complex legal procedure. For example, some countries have marriage requirements or discriminate against expectant LGBTQ parents.

Adopting internationally can also open you up to risk, like monetary loss through bribes or extortion, or risk of accidentally contributing to an unethical overseas organization. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the risks of international adoption and methods to protect yourself during the process, so that you can have the experience growing your family the way you deserve.

Unpredictable Wait Times
Complex Legal Structure
Possibility Of Significant Risk

What Type of Adoption is Most Common?

In the U.S., private adoption is the most common type of adoption. More babies are adopted through private adoption than through foster care adoptions or international adoption. Families may commonly gravitate towards private adoption due to the available benefits, comparatively lower wait times and personal agency this adoption method offers.

Other Types of Adoption

There are several less-common or less direct types of adoption that are more suited to specific families' circumstances.

Step-Parent Adoption

A step-parent adoption is the legal process of a parent adopting the child of their spouse who they have no legal relationship with. This is one of the most common kinds of adoptions, a popular option for families in which parents for whatever reasons have an unequal custodial relationship to a child.

These adoptions could be important for the sharing of health information in emergency cases, being involved in education decisions and may also provide emotional closure and represent a sense of family cohesion. If step-parent adoption is what your family is looking for, this information may be helpful.

Embryo Adoption

Embryo adoptions are types of adoption that may not be what comes to mind when picturing an adoption. An embryo adoption initially refers to a situation where a couple who chooses surrogacy decides to use embryos from their surrogate to facilitate the birth.

While this method was very common when surrogacy first became popular, most surrogacy arrangements use donated embryos or one of the expectant parent’s embryos instead of this. In the modern day, the term embryo adoption usually refers to a perspective parent using a donated embryo to carry a child themselves.

Adult Adoption

Adult adoption is a great option for adults who have a long-standing parent/child relationship but have never had it legally formalized. You may consider this to secure inheritance rights, address access to medical records for long-term health situations, legally formalize a relationship that grew organically during childhood, or through foster care or step-parent relationships, or any other reason.

It’s important to know that some state laws only allow adult adoptions in specific circumstances. You can learn more about adult adoption here.

Adoption Circumstances

Along with different types of adoption, there are a few circumstances around adoption that could apply to any of the types of adoption listed above. Though these circumstances can all contribute to your healthy continual growth as a family, it’s a good idea to begin thinking about these factors early on, so you can plan how to best support your future child.

Open adoptions are quickly growing as one of the most common circumstances in modern adoptions. Open adoption is simply an adoption where the adoptive family keeps in touch with a child’s birth parents. This can take to form of email, letters, phone calls, video chats or even in-person visits, depending on your level of comfort.

Semi-open adoptions are like open adoptions, but more limited. Typically semi-open adoptions will exchange photos and even letters occasionally, but rarely if ever do the birth parents have actual contact with the adoptive child.

It is becoming increasingly common for adoptive children to be placed with parents of a different racial or ethnic background than them. Building a family in this way can be a beautiful experience that opens both parties up to different cultural experiences than they may have been exposed to otherwise.

If you are an expectant parent considering a transracial adoption, you may consider a few things that could enrich your life and your child’s’. In this guide, we go into detail on finding role models that share a heritage with your child, celebrating their heritage with food, holidays and other traditions and considering ways you may need to advocate for your child as they grow.

Adopting a child with special needs can be a fulfilling and love-filled journey, but you will need to make special accommodations to support your family’s newest member. The accommodations will vary based on your specific child’s needs, but it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with financial and medical resources that could apply to you.

You may also consider joining organizations, online communities or support groups, to hear about the experiences of other people who experience your child’s needs.

What are the Different Types of Adoption Agencies?

Adoption Agencies facilitate different types of adoption in Indiana. There are many factors to consider when choosing the type of adoption agency you want to work with. Let’s compare some of the biggest benefits and drawbacks:

National Adoption Agencies

National adoption agencies are large companies with operations all across the country. Many national agencies have a wide reach, and are capable of handling hundreds of client families at a time. This work load capacity enables national agencies to place children with families like you quickly. The wider an agency’s reach, the more predictable and manageable wait times become.

National agencies can also offer benefits smaller agencies may not be able to.

Local Adoption Agencies

Local adoption agencies are typically smaller, locally owned companies focusing their work on a specific region or community. You may choose to work with a local agency because of their connection to your community, or their focused emphasis on treating each client as an individual.

The downside of most local agencies is their limited reach. How many prospective birth mothers an agency can reach at once impacts everything about that agency’s process, from actual wait times and predictability to the ability to accommodate your requests.

For instance, if you belong to an ethnic or racial group that isn’t prevalent in your local area, but would like to adopt a child of similar heritage, your options with a local agency may be severely limited.

The benefits of larger agencies might be attractive, but you deserve to start this journey with personalized care and individual attention. A smaller agency could provide that, but will most likely be unpredictable and won’t be able to support you like a national agency could.

With either option, you’ll have to face financial insecurity in the form of unprotected payments and reoccurring fees that could continue for years.

Working with American Adoptions of Indiana

At American Adoptions of Indiana, we believe we can offer you the best features of a national and a local agency.

Dedicated local staff with the full support of a national agency
Financial protection and full benefits package
We put you in the driver’s seat

We have helped start or grow 13,000 families in the last 30 years, and are active adoption professionals in all 50 states. We spend a larger percentage on marketing our agency than any other domestic adoption agency, enabling us to reach and help more women experiencing unwanted pregnancies, and more prospective parents like you.

Minimize Your Wait

Because of this national reach, we’re able to minimize wait times. Our families’ wait times average 12 months, a full year less than leading competitors. Some families who’ve chosen to work with us were able to connect with a birth mother in less than three months.

Get Professional, Local Support

Even though we are a national agency, we act locally. We have two offices staffed by licensed Indiana adoption specialists, one Brownsburg in and another in Indianapolis. We are dedicated to our local community and treat each and every family and expectant birth parent as complex individuals.

Protect Your Finances

On top of this, we offer financial protection in the form of adoption insurance. You are in control of your funds until an adoption is finalized. If an adoption falls through, all of your protected assets are returned to you immediately upon your request, in cash.

Stay In Control

There are no reoccurring activation fees with us, so you can experience your adoption journey on your own timeline without draining your adoption budget. With us, you call the shots. You decide what’s best for your family, and have access to professional help any time you need it.

Contact Us Today

If you’ve decided these benefits appeal to you, you can contact us today to set up a free consultation or just request more information, free of charge. You don’t have to wait any longer to start your family.

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.

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